Work Text:
Pretty Little Liars: The Rewrite series
Pretty Little Liars:
5 years forward
1x01
Hated in life and death
By Jay Productions
ROSEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA (NIGHTTIME)
The year is now 2017, 5 years since Alison Dilaurentis’ death, the death that freed Courtney, and ended Alison’s A game, a game of blackmail and psychological torment towards the residents of Rosewood.
In the town mausoleum, Alison’s indoor grave has scratches and remnants of spray paint on it, vaguely replacing her name with words like “liar”, “demon”, “bitch”.
COURTNEY DILAURENTIS narrates as we pan across the town, and see multiple areas of the town (Lucky Leon’s cupcakes, The Brew, Rosewood high).
Courntey (narration):
The power that others can hold over us is unbelievable. Words can break people's minds. They manipulate us, change us. Make us wicked.
Show the bell tower, the Hastings barn, the kissing rock.
Courtney (CONT’D):
In a small town like Rosewood, where a flawless reputation can get burned and shattered in seconds, it can be easy for people to become vicious to you. It can be a cruel world…
Show the lost woods resort. And finally, the blocked off Shepard’s base, where the dollhouse once was.
Courtney (CONT’D):
And I guess that’s why we all left.
VANCOUVER, COURTNEY’S HOME, NIGHTTIME (INT.)
Cut to a luxurious suburban house in Vancouver, and Courtney Dilaurentis is typing on a digital diary on her laptop.
23 years old, hair in a bun, she’s peacefully sitting on her bed.
She exits the document to go on her socials, showing her insta profile with tons of followers and travel photos.
She clicks on another tab, which shows her youtube channel, titled “Courtney does stuff, ig”. The profile pic is a stick drawing (probably whipped up by her in less than a minute), of her humorously banging a camera against her head.
It can be pretty clearly inferred that she has a pretty unserious persona online, probably why she’s racked up 4 million subscribers.
From her videos we can see that she’s a travel vlogger with a “chaotic” video making style, one video is titled “guys I think the british museum gave me dust allergies” with the thumbnail being an intentionally unflattering pic of her, halfway through a sneeze.
CHICAGO, KAHN’S (A CAFE) (EXT.)
A cafe named “Kahn’s”, sits in a vibrant road in Chicago, neon signs on the window indicate that it’s open.
Another sign labelle's it as an art bar.
Cut to the inside, the cafe is full of life, Numerous paintings, some of which portray dolls, are on display on the walls.
ARIA MONTGOMERY serves some people at a counter and looks up to the stage, where her husband NOEL KAHN has finished performing a song.
A warm applause follows. He smiles, and Aria stares lovingly at him.
Pan to a painting behind her, a multicolored and abstract piece of a figure crying out tears of colored paint.
NEW YORK CITY, UPPER EAST SIDE APARTMENT (INT.)
In a chic penthouse, HANNA MARIN examines a newly made dress on a mannequin in front of a balcony that takes in the glamorous lights of the city.
CALEB RIVERS is nearby, filing paperwork for his electronics company on a laptop.
WASHINGTON D.C, WHITE HOUSE (EXT.)
TOBY CAVANAUGH drives by in a police car and waves to SPENCER HASTINGS, who is holding some files and walking past the white house.
LOS ANGELES, STRIP MALL (EXT.)
EMILY FIELDS steps out of a swim school, with a whistle around her neck.
She goes to her car and waits for MAYA ST. GERMAIN, who steps out of a nearby section of the mall, a music store where Maya locks up the shop for the night, enters the car with Emily, greeting her with a kiss.
SEATTLE SPACE NEEDLE (INT.)
MONA VANDERWAAL is working on a laptop in an office and takes a break to go on her phone.
She sees and likes MIKE MONTGOMERY’S insta story, where he’s in a nearby gym and is working as a trainer
COURTNEY’S VANCOUVER HOUSE (INT.)
Cut back to Courtney. She gets a notification from her phone.
She cautiously opens her phone-
Only to see it’s a normal text from JASON DILAURENTIS.
Jason:
Court, you gotta see this. Cece put in a lot of work to get as much info as possible for this article.
He sends a link for an article, written by CECE DRAKE, the headline being;
FORMER MENTAL HOSPITAL TURNED INTO LUXURY HOTEL.
Courtney skims through the article and sees that Radley Sanitarium, 5 years after it shut down due to its cover up of Marion Cavanaugh’s death, has now been converted into a hotel, named “The Radley”.
Courtney looks conflicted at the news, but ultimately smiles softly at it.
She looks at the caption of the article, citing the location. Her hometown, Rosewood.
Courntey (whispering):
Rosewood….
She silently deliberates something in her head. She gets up and goes to her desk, and gets out some papers and a pen, and begins to write.
CUT TO THE VARIOUS RESIDENCES OF THE OTHER CHARACTERS
Aria and Noel are closing up the cafe for the night. She takes out a letter from her purse.
Noel:
What is that?
Aria scans the envelope.
Aria:
I got it in the mail… it’s from Courtney.
She smiles and reads the letter.
Courtney (V.O):
Hey… I know the last time we talked was in our ambiguously active group chat, and I could’ve just called you, or just sent a paragraph on insta… but I needed this message to be a letter,
Cut to Hanna taking a break from her sewing machine and reading Courtney’s letter.
Courtney (V.O)(CONT’D):
Because I wanted you guys to have touched something that I had as well. I wanted to connect us as I send this message, to remind you all of what we’ve been through together.
Cut to Spencer and Toby driving, as Spencer reads the letter.
Courtney (V.O)(CONT’D):
Pretty soon, it’ll be September 1st again. 5 years since we all went our separate ways, 8 years since that night at the barn. And I want us to push forward. Labor day has so many good and bad memories, but what I think matters the most is that right now , we're okay. Right now, we’ve been years free of my late sister.
Cut to Emily blowing a whistle at the swim school she teaches at. A worker hands her an envelope.
Fade to Emily and Maya on a park bench, reading the letter together.
Courtney (V.O)(CONT’D):
And because of this, I want us to be able to catch up again, with no strings attached, no awkward air. Because in the end, we came on top after everything we went through. So if you can, come back to Rosewood. Let’s go to the new Radley hotel, let’s have a drink, or two.
Cut to Mona reading the letter.
Courtney (V.O)(CONT’D):
And most importantly, let’s say goodbye to everything that happened in the past. Let's allow ourselves to revisit these places as what they are now, and not what they were. In other words, let’s fucking party. The past can jerk itself off.
-Courtney.
Cut back to Courtney writing the letter. She signs it off, and leans back in her chair.
*TITLE SEQUENCE*
ROSEWOOD, DAYTIME
Spencer walks across the town and looks at the places she once knew. The church looks the same, but the plants are more vibrant. And an angel statue stands in a new lawn that has been planted in front of the church. The statue has its arms stretched out.
Restaurants like Lucky Leon’s and The Brew all have fresh coats of paint.
She takes a deep breath and enters the brew.
THE BREW (INT.)
Spencer goes into the brew and looks around the place, looking for her friends.
She gasps as hands cover her eyes.
Hanna:
Guess who?
Spencer turns around and laughs.
Spencer:
Oh my god, you’re the worst!
They squeal and hug, as Aria and Emily enter the scene.
Aria:
Oh my god!
They all group hug.
Show a montage of the liars taking selfies and eventually they all sit by a table in the corner.
Hanna:
Aria, did you get to listen to that new Lorde album?
Aria:
Ah, not yet, but they played some of her songs at a party last week, Best. High. Ever.
Emily:
Sure Courtney would have a thing or two to say about her.
They laugh.
Spencer:
Where is she, anyway?
Courtney:
Hey bitches!
They turn to see Courtney behind them.
All:
Hey, bitch!
She sits down with them and they begin talking again.
Cue another montage of the liars talking.
Courtney:
Ok, so I was able to get us the 3 biggest suites in the hotel,
The liars look at each other excitedly
Courtney (CONT’D):
And they’re closest to the pool, and have 2 bedrooms each, meaning you all can get some alone time with your patterns!
Hanna:
Oh my god, you’re so cheesy!
Courtney:
Well, we can all see at the hotel, we got rooms to go to, c’mon!
They all laugh and get up.
ROSEWOOD MAIN STREET- MOMENTS LATER
The liars step out to see their partners, who have also had a small reunion offscreen.
Focus on Aria going to Noel.
Aria:
You ready?
She moves her gaze to a figure behind Noel, someone who’s walking into the church. They look familiar, but Aria can’t place her finger on it.
Noel notices this and turns to see the man as well.
Noel:
Everything okay?
Aria:
Y-yeah, yeah, I just didn’t realize that creepy ass church would still be open today. Let’s go!
The two enter their car and drive away.
Whoever that man was that entered the church then opens the door again to look at them. But before we can see his face, cut to-
ROAD, DAYTIME
6 cars all follow each other to the brand new Radley hotel.
Courtney is in the lead car.
ARIA’S CAR (INT.)
Aria:
Did you get the good camera?
Noel:
Is there a bad camera?
Aria:
One’s got film, the other is digital, we have to use the one that captures the best aesthetic!
Noel:
…So, the digital?
Aria:
The one with film, Noel.
They laugh.
Noel:
I just packed both.
Aria:
Ok.
Noel:
But I prefer painting anyway.
Aria:
All thanks to me.
Noel smiles.
Noel:
Yeah, thanks to you.
EMILY’S CAR (INT.)
Maya:
Y’know this is exactly what I needed. Kind of creepy that it’s got a history of murder and such, but like, they’ve got a pool!
Emily:
I know, right?
Maya:
Pretty excited to swim?
Emily:
I’ll be honest, work has been beating my ass, I don’t even think I wanna see a pool. I might just hang at the bar.
Maya looks a bit concerned but smiles.
Maya:
Well, just save some drinks for me, alright?
HANNA’S CAR (INT.)
Hanna:
Did you hear? That true crime podcast that got flack for “insensitivity” last month are the same ones that got banned at The Radley.
Caleb:
What did they do again?
Hanna:
They had a ouija board session on the rooftop.
Caleb:
Holy shit…
SPENCER’S CAR (INT.)
Spencer:
Did you see that pic of me they took at the meeting last year? The angle totally looked like Melissa, and my uncle used that photo for a birthday post!
Toby:
Your birthday?
Spencer:
Melissa’s…
They laugh.
Toby:
How did they even shoot at an angle that made you look like her so much?
Spencer:
I don’t know, maybe I’m actually her evil twin.
Toby:
Hey, let's not get crazy here, Spence.
COURTNEY’S CAR (INT.)
Courtney is on the phone with Cece.
Courtney:
Cece, you have to stay at this place again! And not for work, for a legitimate vacation. The pool has 3 sections, a hot tub, and an ice bath.
Cece:
Ice bath? No thanks! Maybe I’ll go for the hot tub. A-are you sure you’re gonna be okay staying in that building though?
Courtney:
Cece, I’ll be fine, they’ve added in a million new sections and buildings on the property, I won’t have to enter a familiar hallway once! This will be good for me, for all of us! Like I said, the past can jerk itself off!
Cece:
Well… I’m happy for you, Court…
THE RADLEY GATES (EXT.)
The brand new Radley hotel is refurbished, repainted and rebuilt almost beyond recognition. The once derelict asylum is now a glamorous building, and as the cars pull up, they all ogle at the building.
Everybody comes together by the front gates.
Spencer:
Sight for sore eyes, huh?
A voice is heard behind them.
Voice (a woman):
Good thing Jenna isn’t here then!
The group jump back to see-
It’s just Mike and Mona.
They all drop their shoulders in relief.
Hanna:
Mona!
They hug.
Mona:
Oh my god, hey everyone, Mike and I couldn’t wait to see the pool!
Mike:
And all of you-
Mona:
Oh yeah! And all of you!
She pulls up a box.
Mona:
And I brought pie!
RADLEY LOBBY (INT.)
Most of them have already checked in, Spencer and Courtney finish signing up as the others take in the brand new aesthetic,
Caleb talks to Toby.
Caleb:
So, once this place stops being a hospital, suddenly it has a comforting mood?
Toby:
Yeah, it probably should’ve always been like that.
Courtney and Spencer join the others, finished signing everything up at the counter.
Courtney:
Ok guys, we can talk about this place's questionable architectural history later, we have a bunch of amazing suites to get to!
WEST BUILDING
VARIOUS HOTEL SUITES (INT.)
Smash cut to each couples hotel suite, them entering and reacting to it, end the montage on-
COURTNEY’S SUITE (INT.)
Courtney enters her suite, the only one having a room all to herself.
She looks out the window. This suite is in a brand new building added onto the Radley property for the hotel.
From her window, she examines the view and her eyes land on what she was looking for-
The main building. The one that used to be the sanitarium.
She sighs, and looks away.
RADLEY POOL BAR (EXTERIOR)- MOMENTS LATER
The sun shines on the pool as Spencer and Emily sip cocktails at the pool's bar.
A bartender lingers by them for a bit before walking away.
Spencer:
God, you think the creeps would back off in a public pool.
Emily laughs.
Suddenly, she notices something elsewhere, Spencer notices.
Emily:
Speaking of creepy…
Cut to a figure approaching them. A cane they’re holding tapping the floor will be the main focus of this shot.
Pan up to reveal that the figure is a familiar face-
JENNA MARSHALL.
Back when Spencer and Emily were teens, they would’ve been scared out of their minds.
But now, they just roll their eyes as Jenna walks up to them.
Jenna:
I knew I would find you guys here.
Spencer:
Yeah, we all posted about it, not very difficult info to get.
Jenna:
Oh Spencer, I never did understand why everyone thinks Hanna’s the funny one.
Emily:
What do you want, Jenna?
Jenna:
Why so feisty Emily?
She’s blind, but Jenna can sense the cold stares that Spencer and Emily are giving her.
Jenna:
Alright, fine, I’m here about Toby.
Spencer and Emily (unison):
Toby?!
Jenna:
Please, as if it’s so scandalous to-
Spencer:
Yeah, it’s kind of scandalous to us when you go around asking about a guy who has a restraining order on you!
Emily:
And for a reason too, Jenna, if I have to bring it up!
Jenna:
I’m not asking to see him, okay?.... I just want to know if he’s okay.
Emily:
‘Cause you obviously cared so much about him when you were in the garage with him back in high school.
Jenna:
I’m not gonna talk about that okay?! Toby was my brother, whether he likes it or not, so I just have to know, how has he been?
Spencer is on the verge of blowing up on Jenna.
Spencer:
Well we’re not going to talk about that either. I’m pretty sure you’re not allowed to be on the same property as him anyway, so I think you should just leave.
Jenna looks exasperated, even through her wraparound sunglasses, and she sighs.
Jenna:
Fine.
She walks away, cane tapping the ground.
The noise fades away as Spencer and Emily ease up a bit.
Spencer:
Can you believe her? Oh my god, and she seriously expected us to hear her out.
Emily:
Yeah, it's been years since high school and someone here clearly has some leftover maturing to do.
Spencer:
Yeah… leftover maturing …
FLASHBACK- ROSEWOOD HOSPITAL
5 years ago, a couple weeks after the dollhouse fiasco, Hanna, Spencer, Emily and Aria are all sharing a room in the hospital. Courtney is there, visiting them. They all sit together, huddled around a table.
All of them are shaken up. Alison may be dead, but it's clear in their eyes. Everything that A did to them is gonna leave more than just a mark.
Courtney looks at them all, sympathetically.
Courtney:
I-I got cookies for you guys… thought that you’d all want them…
She sets the cookies on the table and the other girls slowly and surely take them.
Hanna is the last to get one.
Courtney’s eyes are full of guilt.
Courtney:
I wanted to apologize… again, for… everything … the bullying, the Jenna thing, the lies, the insults, the secrets.
The others stare at her. An apology? They love Courtney, but, whatever she’s got to say, better be good.
Courtney:
And I know I have to apologize for the biggest secret of them all… I’m sorry that I never told you guys about… my sister.
Spencer:
The real Ali… the real Alison Dilaurentis… A.
Courtney:
From the very start, our friendship was built on a lie, and I’m so sorry. But the only reason that lie ever had to exist was because of her . She was gonna keep me locked away for crimes I never committed for the rest of my life. Securing you guys as friends was the only way I could make sure everyone saw me as… as.. Ali.
Hanna:
A- Courtney… it’s not your sister that you have to apologize for. The one thing that should be making you beg on your hands and knees for our forgiveness is the fact that you had a pretty damm good theory on who A was, and you didn’t tell us! We had been dealing with Alison for almost 2 years! You had more than enough time to say, “hey guys! I have a twin sister that wants me dead!” I’m sorry, but I don’t care how hard it must've been for you to spit out the truth about Ali, when someone is stalking your friends, you don’t wait around for those friends to get kidnapped to spill the beans about who that stalker could be!
Hanna lets out an exasperated sigh and leans back. Courtney is stunned and silent.
Spencer:
Courtney… why didn’t you tell us about the possibility of Alison being A?
Courtney:
Because, it’s like what I said. It wouldn’t have made a difference!
Aria:
How? How would knowing about your twin sister not have made a difference?
Courtney:
You know Ali! She had ways of controlling everyone around her. She was able to make a team of A’s who did things for her. Mona, Toby, they’re people we love, but… Ali was able to get to them and for a bit they both were playing the A game, against us, even if they’re good now…
She takes a long pause, deep in thought before saying what else she has to say.
Courtney:
In New York, I was gonna tell you guys about Alison. By then I figured out the right way to tell you guys about A. Because by then you had all pieced everything together. The four of you combined, realized I was getting attacked by A before she got to you, and finally had the context to know more about that night than you guys thought you all could ever know. I was finally able to tell my story and you guys would get it! But then… Shana showed up. And she was part of the A team. One of my oldest friends, before you guys, before Cece, before Ali.. Shana was a part of my life for so long. But she was one of the A’s.
Tears stream down her face, as does the others
Courtney (CONT’D):
And then I realized just how right Maya was. Anybody could be on the A team. If I was wrong to trust Shana, then it really wouldn’t change anything if I told you guys about Alison sooner than I did. Because the A team had all kinds of people to not trust.
Ali had Shana, Ali had Wilden, the town's most high profile cop… I just wanted to wait until we were able to weed them all out, maybe get some of them back on our side like with Mona, Lucas and Toby. But I didn’t have the time.
Emily:
You came back to Rosewood during November last year… We didn’t get to find out about A until this month, March.
Courtney:
Well, when I came back it only took 5 days for you guys to ice me out. By the last day of November, it was pretty clear to me that you guys weren’t gonna hear me out.
Emily:
Fine, maybe 5 days wasn’t entirely fair to you, but A was putting us through so much, that whole month felt like 5 crammed into 1. You should’ve felt more urgent in telling us everything.
Courtney:
You’re right… I should have. And that’s why I’m gonna be sorry for the rest of my life. And you guys don’t have to forgive me… but just know I’m never gonna hurt anyone the way I have to this town ever again.
She gets up and walks to the door.
Spencer:
Courtney…
Courtney stops.
Spencer (CONT’D):
We can’t forgive everything … but we can allow you in our lives. We’re all here for each other, for support.
Courtney gives a genuine smile, which the others return.
PRESENT DAY- POOL BAR
Spencer:
To be able to change… that’s a miracle for most people, Em.
Emily:
Anyone you have in mind?
Spencer:
God, what would the world have been like if Courtney remained Ali.
Emily:
We’d probably be dead.
They have a small laugh.
MAYA AND EMILY’S ROOM- MOMENTS LATER (INT.)
Maya and Noel are sitting by a balcony, with a beer bottle.
Noel:
Last time I checked, I thought gay people preferred wine?
Maya:
Gay guys , Noel. And besides, I’m what a lot of shallows on the internet consider to be a “bad gay”, so who gives a fuck about what I drink.
Noel:
“Bad gay” huh? So have you been stuck with that label your whole life?
Maya:
Well, back in high school I may or may not have mentioned that I’m not really gaga for Gaga.
Noel:
Oh my god, you actually said that?
Maya:
Yeah, I fucking did!
They laugh and clink their beer cups together.
Maya:
Some things from high school don’t really change, huh?
Noel:
Some things.
Maya:
Hm, so what from high school have you dropped?
Noel:
Well, back then being your average everyday dickhead was what scored me popularity points.
Maya:
Well, Courtneys late sister has a bit to do with that.
Noel:
And, I guess you can say I was a bit angry back then. Arias friends… they used to really piss me off before. But that was then, this is now. And I’ve had some help regarding my…
For a split second, this scene is intercut with a memory in Noel's head… a party, but we cut back to the current scene just as quickly.
Noel (CONT’D):
Anger.
Maya:
Hm. How so?
Noel smiles.
Noel:
Aria.
FLASHBACK- KAHN’S CAFE, A FEW YEARS AGO (INT.)
It's closing hours, Noel has just gotten off the phone, and he’s not happy.
A concerned Aria goes up to him.
Aria:
Hey, what is it?
Noel:
My parents… holy shit those bastards…
Aria:
What happened? Noel, you can tell me.
Noel:
They called me just to let me know that they’re pissed!
He sits down on a chair, Aria sits across from him.
He looks up to her, and she stays silent.
Noel:
They… they recently found out about this place… they recently found out about us… and they’re not happy. They-they went on about how this isn't the life they planned for me, this isn't’ what they wanted… God, I cut them off for a reason, and I just don’t know what to do.
Aria sits next to him.
She rubs his back, and kisses him on the forehead.
Aria:
Hey, hey, listen to me. I am so sorry for them, and it is not okay that they treat you like this. It's okay if you don't know how to deal with them. You don’t have to have all the answers all the time. And you don’t owe them anything. You have this place right now, you have me, you have us. It’s going to be okay.
Noel breaks into silent sobs as Aria shushes and soothes him.
Aria:
It's okay, it's gonna be okay… In fact, I think I know what we can do to help with these feelings…
Cut to the cafe's art studio. Noel stands in front of a canvas. He paints a skull, crying tears of all different kinds of colors.
Aria stands behind him, guiding his hand.
Aria:
Is it turning out well? God, I’m so short I can barely see it from here.
Noel:
Yeah, it’s… it’s beautiful.
Aria:
Of course it would be… we’re beautiful.
PRESENT DAY, RADLEY WEST BUILDING (EXT.)
Maya and Noel continue to drink on the balcony.
Pan down to the west building's parking lot. The sun sets, and glows om Courtney, having another phone call.
Jason:
It sounds like you’ve really been able to relax.
Courtney:
Yeah, for once I can vacation without holding a camera up to my face.
Jason:
Well, I’m glad you’ve been handling it well, but-
Courtney:
Jason, I’m fine. I haven’t even spent a second in the main building since we checked in.
Jason:
Even so, Court. It’s Radley , and I wanna make sure nothing about that building reminds you of anything.
Courtney:
It doesn’t. I’ll be fine.
Jason:
If you ever feel like you have to get out of there, call me immediately, okay?
Courtney:
I will. Bye.
They end the call, Courtney looks again to the main Radley building.
She looks around, and against her better judgement, goes to the main building.
SPENCER AND TOBY’S ROOM (INT.)
Spencer and Toby are making out and giggling.
Enjoying their alone time, Spencer takes off Toby’s shirt and undoes his pants, lowering it just enough.
Toby:
Hey, Chillax Spence, we just got here.
Spencer:
3 hours ago isn’t “just got here” when it’s regarding you and me.
They continue to escalate things- until there’s a knock on the door.
Spencer sighs.
Spencer:
Oh my god, who would wanna be here right now?
She walks up to the door and opens it to see MELISSA HASTINGS, Spencer's preppier, more perfect older sister.
Spencer:
Oh- oh my god, Melissa? What are you doing here?
Melissa:
Nice to see you too, Spencer.
Spencer just stares.
Melissa scoffs.
Melissa:
Alright fine, I have come here to-
She glances over and notices Toby’s lack of a shirt and falling pants.
He scrambles to dress himself.
Melissa:
I have come here to let you know something pretty big.
Melissa lets out an excited squeal and Spencer feigns excitement as Toby tries to look for his belt behind her.
Spencer:
Um, what is it?
Melissa flings the door open further to show a man next to her, WREN KINGSTON, Spencer’s past fling.
Melissa:
Wren and I are engaged!
Spencer and Toby:
What?
Toby lets go of his pants in reaction to the news and his pants fall down to his ankles.
RADLEY MAIN BUILDING (INT.)
Courtney roams around the building, paying little mind to the staff and other guests around her.
She examines all the hotel rooms, which were once rooms for her fellow patients years ago, when she was wrongfully incarcerated for Alison's attempted murder on her.
She stops and turns her head to her left, gazing at a hall.
This is it, the hall that leads to what was once her room at Radley. The room that was hers, then Alisons, then nobodies.
This hall is different though.
A “STAFF ONLY” sign hangs above a wooden panel very poorly blocking the hallway.
Courtney glances around again then sneaks past the panel and enters the hall. A tense look on her face, she moves forward to where her old room is, needing to say goodbye.
She finds it, door-less now.
COURTNEY’S OLD RADLEY ROOM (INT.)
Walking in, she sees that so much of Alison's things are there. Pictures, pillows, a shelf with small trinkets.
On a nightstand, Courtney sees a framed picture of her and Alison as kids.
She pauses, she never knew Alison would have kept this.
She almost smiles even, she never thought Alison could ever make her smile.
But it's broken when she sees a book underneath the nightstand.
A diary. Turns out Alison was journaling too.
Breath hitching, she opens the diary and skims through it.
A certain passage is shown, one that gets Courtney concerned.
Alison (Written):
My visitor is here again. They’re smarter than they seem. Like I said, they were able to see who I really am, just like that. I mean, that has a lot to do with why they started coming here in the first place, but we’ll get to that later. And now they’re coming to try to read me, analyze me. Maybe they think something will come from it. And maybe something will.
Kisses, A.
Courtney looks in shock, then tries to look back at the other pages to see who Alison could have been talking about. But they’re torn. The only other pages talk about completely unrelated things.
Courtney begins to breathe heavily then- her phone buzzes. From Spencer.
Spencer:
SOS, craziest news going on here.
SPENCER AND TOBY’S ROOM (INT.)
Courtney walks in to see Spencer, Toby (now fully clothed), Wren, Melissa, along with Aria, Emily Hanna standing in a circle.
Courtney:
Um, hey guy-
Melissa:
Spencer, I just don’t get why you're so worked up over this. Wren and I were hoping you could be happy for us.
Spencer:
I would be, but last time I checked, you broke up with Wren 5 years ago, and you were drunk calling me about him last Christmas.
Melissa:
People reconnect, Spence, things happen.
Wren:
I’m so sorry everyone, we shouldn’t have announced this so abruptly. Melissa, I think we should just leave-
Melissa:
No, if we’re gonna be vacationing here, we’re gonna have to talk with my sister. Y’know Spencer, you should consider it a blessing that Wren and I are back in each other's lives. Considering that you got in the way of it from the very beginning.
Spencer is stunned.
Aria:
What’s that supposed to mean?
Melissa:
Please, you guys know about Spencer stealing Wren from me back when I was first engaged with him. She always had a thing for shopping out of other people’s carts!
Hanna:
Yeah, and how old were you guys that time? Early 20s? And how old was Spencer?
Melissa:
… 16, but- c’mon, guys! As if she was some naive child when she talked to Wren, she was old enough to know what she was doing!
Courtney:
And Wren was old enough to know better.
Melissa is stunned now, and the room suddenly fills with silence.
Courtney:
Tell me Melissa, if a grown man once saw 16 year old as an option, is he even worth your trouble?
Courtney stares down Wren, almost glaring at him.
Toby turns to Melissa.
Toby:
If trying to attack Spencer for mistakes she made years ago is all you’re gonna do, I think you and Wren should leave us alone.
Emily:
Now.
Wren, visibly uncomfortable, tugs at Melissa's arm. She scoffs and storms off with him.
The atmosphere of the room softens.
Spencer:
Holy shit, thank you guys for backing me up.
Aria:
We’re your friends, Spencer, it’s what we do.
Courtney:
Melissa can be so unbelievable sometimes.
Spencer:
Tell me about it.
Courtney:
Well, if she and Wren ever bother you for the rest of this trip, just call me and I’ll kill them.
Spencer:
Of course.
Suddenly, the door swings open.
Mona is there.
Mona:
Ok, I may or may not have been listening in on all that, but it doesn't matter, we gotta get to the pool, guys! Everyone else is partying there!
The others glance at each other.
Hanna:
We could use some smoothies, Spence.
RADLEY POOL-NIGHTTIME (EXT.)
The pool is bathed in colorful lights as various guests, including everybody in the group, are partying at the pool.
In the pool, Aria and Hanna lounge on some floaties.
Hanna takes a sip from a smoothie.
Hanna:
Christ, this stuff is so good.
Aria:
Yeah, but it still doesn't compare to the drinks they gave us backstage on that talkshow.
Hanna:
Which one? Roberto Goldsmith or Cheryl Hawthorne?
Aria:
Debbie Donaldson, the others didn’t give us anything, remember?
Hanna:
And all of those talk show hosts were such cash grabbers, and so damn invasive. It was like, what? A month after graduation they were already asking us “Did you ever suspect that Alison isn't who she said she was? How many times did Emily hook up with Courtney? Did you guys ever think Ali was really a cute nickname?”
Aria:
Hey, not that I’m defending their weird questions, but we did agree to go on those shows and talk about A for the money.
Hanna:
Yeah, the money to make up for what A stole from my moms lasagna box.
Aria:
Wow, I totally forgot that happened.
Courtney watches her friends from afar.
Her hair is down in public, for the first time in a while.
She looks at her reflection in the pool.
Shit. She looks just like Alison all over again.
She recoils from the reflection, and her gaze ends up landing on the main Radley building. Now Courtney knows that Ali’s stuff is still there.
And she wants to do something about it.
She glances at the others, and silently slips away, going back to the main building.
THE CHURCH BELLTOWER (INT.)
We cut to the heart of Rosewood, where the church and its bell tower is.
Inside, we pan up the tower to the top where the windows are.
Someone, though the camera is only high enough to show their shoes, is looking out the window.
Another pair of shoes; another person walks into frame. Then another. Then another
An indistinct argument is heard amongst these 4 people.
Meanwhile, back in Ali’s room in Radley, Courtney is investigating the room more, the diary page discussing Alison’s visitor left open.
Courtney notices a bit of writing on the wall, but it's behind a piece of partially torn wallpaper.
She rips away at it, desperate to see what Alison could have written on the wall.
Back at the church, one of the people there is being backed up against the window by the other three.
The yelling between all four people gets louder. The one backed against the window sounds more and more frantic.
They get closer and closer.
Suddenly, we switch back to the Radley, the loudness of the yelling immediately stopped by the calm of the pool.
In the Radley pool, Toby gets a call from his stepmom.
Toby:
Hello?
We don’t hear what his stepmom says, but his eyes widen in terror as she speaks.
In the Radley, Courtney finishes tearing off the wallpaper and sees Alison’s writing on the wall. A message left years ago, that she now is able to see.
C, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
-A
Suddenly, Mike enters the room. He’s a bit shaken, then he notices the writing on the wall before looking back at Courtney.
Courtney;
Mike? What are you doing here?
Mike:
We tried to call you.
Courtney:
What’s going on?
Mike:
We have to go to town, now. Toby’s parents called.
Courtney hesitates a bit, but ultimately follows Mike.
ROSEWOOD CHURCH (EXT.)
Outside the church, a crowd of people surround something by the front.
Police cars are already by the scene.
Various people are present. SYDNEY DRISCOLL is in the crowd, looking absolutely appalled by whatever is in front of the church.
Sydney’s eyes well up with tears.
3 cars, with the whole group in them, step out to see what the commotion is all about.
Courtney stands in front of everybody and they all look in horror at what’s in front of the church.
Toby puts a hand over his mouth.
JENNA’S DEAD BODY lies in front of the church, having been pushed off of the bell tower, which has its front window open.
Jennas dead body had landed into the arms of the angel statue.
Police come in to take the body away.
Emily:
Oh my god!
Maya:
Jenna…
Toby:
What happened?...
Courtney is stunned silent, her jaw dropping.
Suddenly BUZZ. BUZZ.
EVERYBODIES PHONES CHIME.
A text has been sent to all of them.
Aria, Spencer, Hanna, Emily, Courtney, Mona, Toby, Caleb, Maya, Noel and Mike look at their phones.
Looks like someone couldn’t see where they were going, luckily I was there to give a helping hand. And if you bitches happen to need one as well, I’ll be there!
-A.D
They all look at each other in shock.
Aria:
Alison??
They look around the crowd, wondering who this could be.
We zoom out, the group is paralyzed in fear as the crowd gets more chaotic, the police and ambulance taking away Jenna’s dead body.
TO BE CONTINUED